| Mambiloid | |
| Region: | Nigeria and Cameroon |
| Familycolor: | Niger-Congo |
| Fam2: | Atlantic–Congo |
| Fam3: | Volta-Congo |
| Fam4: | Benue–Congo |
| Fam5: | Bantoid |
| Fam6: | Northern Bantoid |
| Glotto: | mamb1309 |
| Glottorefname: | Mambiloid |
| Child1: | Ndoola (Ndoro) |
| Child2: | Mambiloid proper |
| Mapcaption: | The Mambiloid languages shown within Nigeria and Cameroon |
The twelve Mambiloid languages are languages spoken by the Mambila and related peoples mostly in eastern Nigeria and in Cameroon. In Nigeria the largest group is Mambila (there is also a small Mambila population in Cameroon). In Cameroon the largest group is Vute.
The following classification follows Blench (2011). Languages with (?) are not listed in that source, but close to other languages according to Ethnologue. Ndoro–Fam may be a separate branch of Benue–Congo.
Ethnologue also lists Njerep, which most likely lies somewhere in the Mambila–Kamkam branch. The extinct Yeni, Luo and Kasabe languages were apparently Mambiloid, the first two close to Njerep.
Fam is sometimes classified with Ndoro, but appears to be more divergent.
The unclassified language Bung shows its strongest resemblance to be with the Ndung dialect of Kwanja. It also has words in common with other Mambiloid languages such as Tep, Somyev and Vute, while a number of words' origins remain unclear (possibly Adamawan).[1]
Below is a list of language names, populations, and locations (in Nigeria only) from Blench (2019).[2]
| Language | Dialects | Alternate spellings | Own name for language | Endonym(s) | Other names (location-based) | Other names for language | Exonym(s) | Speakers | Location(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bungnu | Mbọngnọ | Mbọngnọ | Kamkam | Kakaba, Bunu | 800 (1952 W&B); 3000 est. Blench and Connell (1999) | Taraba State, Sardauna LGA, Kakara town | ||||
| At least 2 dialects | Ndoro | Ndoola | Ndoola | Njoyamɛ (in Cameroon) | 1169 (1952 W&B); 10,000 total, 1,300 in Cameroon (1982 SIL); estimated more than 15,000 (1999) | Taraba State, Sardauna and Gashaka LGAs; and in Cameroon (1 village only) | ||||
| At least 6 dialects | Bute, Mbute, Wute, Voute | Mbutere | 1,000 or less in Nigeria; 30,000 in Cameroon (1985 EELC) | Taraba State, Sardauna LGA; northeast Mambila Plateau, but mainly in Cameroon | ||||||
| A single village and associated hamlets. <4000 | Taraba State. Mambila Plateau | |||||||||
| Almost every village has a separate dialect forming a dialect chain. Dialect centres are: Bang, Dorofi, Gembu, Hainari, Kabri, Mayo Ndaga, Mbamnga, Tamien, Warwar. At least 4 dialects in Cameroon. | Ju Nɔri | Nɔr | Mambila, Mambilla, Mambere | Taraba State, Sardauna LGA. Mambila Plateau. Cameroon. | ||||||
| Mvanɔ | Magu | 100 (Blench 1999) | Taraba State, Sardauna LGA. A single quarter of Zongo Ajiya town in the northwest of the Mambila Plateau. | |||||||
| 400 (Blench 1999) | Taraba State, Sardauna LGA. In northwest Mambila Plateau. | |||||||||
| Kila, Zuzun | 4 speakers (2006) | Taraba State, Sardauna LGA, (Blacksmiths’ dialect). Kila Yang village, 10 km. west of Mayo Ndaga. Also formerly spoken in Cameroon | ||||||||
| Fam | Fam | Kɔŋa, Konga | Fewer than 1,000 (1984); <500 (2016) | Taraba State, Bali LGA, 17km east of Kungana |